Amortentia
by hogwartzgangsta
Summary: Slughorn makes his potions class share what scents they can smell from the cauldron of Amortentia. Some students are a bit more shocked than others in what they smell...


**A quick fluffy one shot. It's been a while since I've written anything-so I'm rusty. For the purpose of this story, Sirius is in Slughorn's class, even though he never had him in the book. Disclaimer: this is JK Rowlings playground-she just lets me hang out for a while. Hope you like it! :D**

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><p>It was another typical day in Potions class. Professor Slughorn began telling the class jokes only he seemed to understand, while announcing the date to his next dinner party to even those who he would never invite. About fifteen minutes in, he finally began to actually start his lesson.<p>

"Now can someone please tell me what the potion is brewing in the cauldron to the left?" he asked, pointing to the magenta liquid swirling in spirals of pearl sheens.

Lily Evan didn't hesitate to answer, "Amortentia." Lovely Lily, pretty and smart is how the students of Hogwarts described her.

Murmurs of "felix felices, draught of death and polyjuice potion" drowned out her answer.

She coughed slightly. "Amortentia," she repeated, louder than the previous time.

"Amortentia, Professor."

Lily whipped her head around to search for the source who stole her thunder.

James Potter in all his glory, leaned against the back of his chair with his arms folded behind his head, sporting a cocky grin on his face. He craned his body to turn to face Lily, who was sitting in the back a few rows behind him. He shot her a lopsided smile, waggling his eyebrows to boot.

She turned her head to the side, shielding half of her face with her hair, gagging silently to herself.

"Excellent, Mr. Potter. Five points to Gryffindor! And you will be attending my beginning of term dinner party, I presume?"

"Ah, Professor, I wouldn't dare to miss it."

"Splendid! Now, if you all would be so kind to form a queue-here," said Slughorn, pointing to desk with the potion he asked them to identify only moments before. "Now, as you may know, Draught of Living Death and Veritaserum are dangerous with devastating consequences…but, I'll have you know, Amortentia, is far more precarious. You see, this love potion creates powerful infatuation, and obsession. Amorentia is rumored to smell differently based on what attracts the person who is sniffing it. So do be aware, what you're smelling could be true love," he laughed softly as he continued, "Now, I'd hate to be the poor soul that finds this in their morning goblet of pumpkin juice. Anywho-let's start with Mr. Potter. Stand, right here- excellent."

James sauntered over to the desk where the marauders quickly followed. Their admirers made a mad dash to find spots closest to quartet.

James stuck his head nearly entirely into the cauldron and inhaled deeply. He was enamored in the aroma for just a second, but the daze was gone as soon as it came. "Well, to me it smells like my Cleansweep, particularly strong firewhisky, and Padfoot."

"Yeah it does!" chanted Sirius, slamming palms together with his mate.

"Aha, Yes, very funny Mr. Potter, but would you mind sharing what you really smell with the class?" said Slughorn, trying to look stern enough for one of his star pupils to take seriously.

"Alright, Sluggy, if you insist. Hmm…well, it smells good, so it can't be Padfoot…maybe Moony? Just kidding, Professor-hmm…I smell the grass of the quidditch pitch, oh man, Honeydukes…and…"

"Yes Mr. Potter?"

"I'd rather not say…"

"If you feel it is that personal, then, I can't make you—"

"It was just leather gloves. Quidditch stuff. Real manly." He walked to the back of the class where he watched his peers queue in the front of the room. Slughorn looked taken aback, but quickly disregarded Potter's response.

At his turn, Remus went on about the smell of the calm waters of the black lake, Sirius was delighted by the aroma of a freshly glazed ham, Peter seemed so overwhelmed when it was his turn to waft the potion, that his eyes rolled into the back of his head. He murmured something about hot biscuits, when the ladies of the class had shoved him violently out of the way for their turn. Marlene Mckinnon smelled the fresh morning rain, Mary McDonald, spiced candles, Alice Prewett smelled her grandfather's pipe, Hannah Clearwater was soothed by the smell of mint leaves, but James was waiting only for one girl's answer.

Lily Evans took a deep breath into the cauldron, her slightly turned up nose twitched. "Erm, let's see…I smell…pumpkin pie…my…_Hogwarts, A History_ book? That's slightly embarrassing…well, flowers, too…there's another one as well….it's musky…I can't really describe it. It smells familiar, like, that kind of cologne Remus uses." The room chorused in melodic "oooooohs". She immediately regretted saying anything and turned rather pink then stepped back from the source of her mockery.

"Watch out, Potter," whispered Benjamin Fenwick, with a glint in his eye. "Looks like your mate's gonna try to steal your dame."

James didn't say anything to the bloke and shot an accusing look at Remus. Remus scratched behind his ear awkwardly. "But I don't wear cologne, Lily." He said defensively.

She looked confused. "But, sometimes you smell like you do."

Sirius shoved himself in the front of the class to join earshot of the conversation. "The only one that wears that rubbish is Prongs."

Lily stuttered, "I s-swear—Remus, don't you-?"

Remus's cheeks began to turn from sickly pale to beet red. "Uh, I might borrow a little from James when I skip a washing…" Several girls giggled, other scrunched their noses in disgust.

"But—I don't…it can't be Potter's…." she looked around the room, only to see the taunting faces of her fellow students. Her insides churned. Even Professor Slughorn was giving her a knowing look. It's impossible, there was no way that Potter's cologne was one of the things she could smell in the love potion. That would mean, she was in lo—no, no way that Lily Evans could ever feel like that about James Bloody-Arse Potter. But why was everyone looking at her like they knew she did all along?

"It's okay Evans," smirked James Potter from the back corner of the classroom. He was leaning up against the wall, rubbing a hand against his hair. "There was one more thing I could smell in the cauldron, too."

Lily raised one eyebrow. She shifted her weight from her one foot to the other, letting her hip stick out in annoyance. "And what might that have been, Potter?" she snapped.

James grinned widely.

"Well Mr. Potter? Let's not leave us wondering," chortled Slughorn.

"What was it, Prongs?" asked Sirius anxiously.

Evans lifted both brows. "Well, Potter?"

He stood there grinning. He turned his head to the redhead, flashing his smile in her direction.

"Lillies."

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><p><strong>D'awwww see? Fluff. Thanks for reading! Happy fanfictioning! <strong>


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